Saturday, January 31, 2015

MS. MIX-A-LOT

Back when Old Mother Frugal’s “Mother’s Little Helpers” were still living within my kitchen walls, I was like any other busy mom who had too much to do without enough hands to get all the work done.

In the mid-90s, a cookbook was published by three women called “MAKE-A-MIX”. The front of the book contained starter recipe mixes that one would make from scratch and save in a large container for later use.

Another section of the cookbook contained the corresponding recipes to accompany the “made in advance from scratch” mixes.

For a busy home-cook mom, this was a timesaver.

For a frugal mom, this was a cost savings!

Most often used were recipes for all purpose cake mixes, brownies, and “quick mix”. Quick mix was very versatile for items such as coffee cakes, muffins, and an assortment of other baked goods.

Since reading that book, Old Mother Frugal realized this concept would translate well into other frequently baked items most often bought from the shelves of my favorite grocery retailer. Suddenly, there were homemade bags of basic pancake/waffle batter in my pantry along with cornbread and chocolate chip cookie dough.

Mother’s Little Helpers have left home, but when recently organizing the pantry, I rediscovered the “Make-A-Mix” cookbook. The concept is as relevant today and it was over two decades ago. So much so, that it was updated by the author in 2006 and an expanded version is now available to a new generation of busy women!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Having a basic pancake/waffle mix on your pantry shelf is not only a timesaver but a cost savings as well. A favorite waffle recipe in our family is a mixture of:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

 

When ready to cook, add 2 eggs; 1 and ½ cup milk or water and 4 tablespoons melted butter. [I've recently decreased the sugar and salt content to no noticeable difference in taste]. Pour into well greased waffle iron.

Leftovers store well in the freezer or use half the dry and wet ingredients and return the other half of the dry mixture to your pantry shelf to use for another day.

 

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